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CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) can inhibit cytotoxic responses. Though several studies have analyzed Treg frequency in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) patients using flow cytometry (FCM), few studies have examined how intratumoral Tregs might contribute to immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, the potential role of intratumoral Tregs in PDA patients remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that the percentages of Tregs, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were all increased significantly in tumor tissue compared to control pancreatic tissue, as assessed via FCM, whereas the percentages of these cell types in PBMCs did not differ between PDA patients and healthy volunteers. The percentages of CD8+ T cells in tumors were significantly lower than in PDA patient PBMCs. In addition, the relative numbers of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs and CD8+ T cells were negatively correlated in the tissue of PDA patients, and the abundance of Tregs was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation. Additionally, Foxp3+ T cells were observed more frequently in juxtatumoral stroma (immediately adjacent to the tumor epithelial cells). Patients showing an increased prevalence of Foxp3+ T cells had a poorer prognosis, which was an independent factor for patient survival. These results suggest that Tregs may promote PDA progression by inhibiting the antitumor immunity of CD8+ T cells at local intratumoral sites. Moreover, a high proportion of Tregs in tumor tissues may reflect suppressed antitumor immunity.

Angiosperms are believed to have emerged initially in the tropics and expanded their distribution range poleward through diverse mechanisms, for example polyploidization-driven cold tolerance evolution. Reversed expansion from temperate to pan-tropic climates through a polyploidization-driven shift in heat tolerance remains largely unknown. Here, we found autopolyploidy in relation to the global expansion of Solidago canadensis from its temperate-climate native range in North American to hot-summer climate in an introduced range. Our cytogeographical study of 2,062 accessions from 471 locations worldwide demonstrates that ploidy levels correlate negatively with latitude and positively with average temperature. An isotherm-dependent shift of the climate niches at the threshold of 20°–24°C between geo-cytotypes can be attributed mainly to autopolyploidy-driven differentiation of heat tolerance; only polyploids and not diploids are able to complete sexual reproduction, germinate, and grow in the hot-summer climate of low latitudes. Ploidy-dependent fertility appears to play a key role in the hot-summer introduced range in the northern hemisphere through both pre-adaptation and rapid post-introduction adaptive evolution of delayed flowering and improved heat tolerance during embryo development. The MaxEnt model predicts continued expansion of this plant species under global change. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms governing autopolyploidy-driven backward range expansion of plant species from temperate origins.

In this study, 102 cisplatin‐ineligible patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who received neoadjuvant RC48‐ADC combined with immunotherapy were included. We evaluated the pathological responses and explored multiple clinical characteristics to identify independent predictive indicators of the efficacy. The results showed that neoadjuvant RC48‐ADC combined with immunotherapy had promising efficacy. Furthermore, we collected 11 MIBC samples and performed single‐cell RNA sequencing. All BLCA epithelial cells were identified as four subclusters. We conducted differential gene expression/functional enrichment analysis, cell proportion analysis, cell cycle analysis, CNV analysis, and pseudotemporal analysis on all tumor cells to evaluate potential efficacy‐predictive biomarkers and the evolutionary patterns of tumor cells during neoadjuvant treatment. The results indicated that the combined detection of HER2 and HSPA1A expression in C3 subcluster based on single‐cell RNA sequencing is a potential strategy for predicting efficacy. In addition, C3 plays a dominant role in the emergence of drug‐resistance during the evolution of BLCA epithelial cells.

As global climate change deeply affects terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle, it is necessary to understand how grasslands respond to climate change. In this study, we examined the role of climate change on net primary productivity (NPP) from 1961 to 2010 in the Hulunbuir grasslands of China, using a calibrated process-based biogeochemistry model. The results indicated that: Temperature experienced a rise trend from 1961; summer and autumn precipitation showed a rise trend before the 1990s and decline trend after the 1990s. Winter and spring precipitation showed an ascending trend. Simulated NPP had a high inter-annual variability during the study period, ranging from 139 g Cm−2 to 348 g Cm−2. The annual mean NPP was significant and positive in correlation with the annual variation of precipitation, and the trend was first raised then fell with the turn point at the 1990s. Temperature had a 20–30 d lag in summer, but none in spring and autumn; precipitation had a 10–20 d lag in summer. The climate lag effect analysis confirmed that temperature had a positive effect on NPP in spring and a negative effect in summer.

In this study, we proposed climate use efficiency (CUE), a new index in monitoring grassland ecosystem function, to mitigate the disturbance of climate fluctuation. A comprehensive evaluation index (EI), combining with actual vegetation net primary productivity (NPP), CUE, vegetation coverage, and surface bareness, was constructed for the dynamic remote sensing monitoring of grassland degradation/restoration on a regional scale. By using this index, the grassland degradation/restoration in the Three-River Source Region (TRSR) was quantitatively evaluated during 2001–2016, which has been an important ecological barrier area in China. Results showed the following: During the study period, the grassland of Yellow River source (SRYe) had high vegetation coverage, NPP, CUE, and low bareness, whereas Yangtze River source (SRYa) had low vegetation coverage, NPP, CUE, and high bareness. The vegetation coverage and CUE of the grassland showed upward trends, with annual change rates of 0.75% and 0.45% year −1. The surface bareness and NPP showed downward trends, with annual change rates of −0.37% year−1 and −0.24 g C m−2 yr−2, respectively. Assessment of EI revealed that 67.18% of the grassland of TRSR showed a recovery trend during the study period. The overall restoration of the SRYe was the best, followed by SRYa. However, the status of Lancang River source (SRLa) was poor.

Schistosomiasis, a severe parasitic disease, is primarily caused by Schistosoma mansoni , Schistosoma japonicum , or Schistosoma haematobium . Currently, praziquantel is the only recommended drug for human schistosome infection. However, the lack of efficacy of praziquantel against juvenile worms and concerns about the emergence of drug resistance are driving forces behind the research for an alternative medication. Schistosomes are obligatory parasites that survive on nutrients obtained from their host. The ability of nutrient uptake depends on their physiological structure. In short, the formation and maintenance of the structure and nutrient supply are mutually reinforcing and interdependent. In this review, we focus on the structural features of the tegument, esophagus, and intestine of schistosomes and their roles in nutrient acquisition. Moreover, we introduce the significance and modes of glucose, lipids, proteins, and amino acids intake in schistosomes. We linked the schistosome structure and nutrient supply, introduced the currently emerging targets, and analyzed the current bottlenecks in the research and development of drugs and vaccines, in the hope of providing new strategies for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis.

Both vegetation phenology and net primary productivity (NPP) are crucial topics under the background of global change, but the relationships between them are far from clear. In this study, we quantified the spatial-temporal vegetation start (SOS), end (EOS), and length (LOS) of the growing season and NPP for the temperate grasslands of China based on a 34-year time-series (1982–2015) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from global inventory modeling and mapping studies (GIMMS) and meteorological data. Then, we demonstrated the relationships between NPP and phenology dynamics. The results showed that more than half of the grasslands experienced significant changes in their phenology and NPP. The rates of their changes exhibited spatial heterogeneity, but their phenological changes could be roughly divided into three different clustered trend regions, while NPP presented a polarized pattern that increased in the south and decreased in the north. Different trend zones’ analyses revealed that phenology trends accelerated after 1997, which was a turning point. Prolonged LOS did not necessarily increase the current year’s NPP. SOS correlated with the NPP most closely during the same year compared to EOS and LOS. Delayed SOS contributed to increasing the summer NPP, and vice versa. Thus, SOS could be a predictor for current year grass growth. In view of this result, we suggest that future studies should further explore the mechanisms of SOS and plant growth.

Background Propofol injection pain (PIP) has been adequately studied during the past decades. However, patients’ opinion on this problem and the incidence of patients’ recall of this brief discomfort are still unknown. Thus, we conducted this study to know the patients’ perspectives on PIP and provide useful information about the incidence of recall of PIP under our routine general anesthesia. Methods Five hundred preoperative questionnaires were distributed to patients who were scheduled for elective open thyroidectomy under general anesthesia from May 2016 to July 2016. They were asked to rank ten possible adverse effects associated with general anesthesia from their most undesirable to their least undesirable effect. Patients who completed the preoperative questionnaires were asked whether they could recall PIP and to grade the severity of PIP on the first postoperative day. Results A total of 448 preoperative questionnaires were returned and analyzed with an efficient rate of 89.6%. Incisional pain was ranked as most undesirable, followed (in order) by vomiting, gagging on the tracheal tube, nausea, sore throat, propofol injection pain, shivering, intravenous puncture pain, and anxiety. The majority (91.5%) of surveyed patients could not recall any discomfort or pain during anesthetics injection. Of those who could recall PIP, 89.5% grade it as mild pain, 7.9% moderate pain, and 2.6% severe pain. Conclusions Most of patients undergoing elective open thyroidectomy in our hospital viewed PIP as a relatively minor problem. The incidence of recall of PIP was low and the majority of those who recalled regarded it as mild, temporary and acceptable pain. However, further investigations into propofol injection pain may be warranted as patients’ perspectives on propofol injection pain and its severity may differ between patient populations.

Nostalgia is a self-conscious, bittersweet but predominantly positive and fundamentally social emotion. The regulatory model of nostalgia suggests that experiencing nostalgia can buffer against social threat (e.g. social exclusion) by providing individuals with sense of social connectedness (Sedikides, et al., 2015). In the current research, we propose that this salutary effect of nostalgia may be stronger among older adults compared to younger adults because older adults value social meaningfulness to a greater extent. Fifty-nine younger adults (Mage = 20.15, SD = 0.215) and 56 older adults (Mage = 71.02, SD = 0.679) completed daily questionnaires three times a day for ten consecutive days, and reported their emotional experience and social activities. Results showed that perceiving social threat was positively correlated with nostalgia experience reported at the subsequent time point, and this association was stronger among older adults. In addition, nostalgia positively correlated with subsequent social activities among the older participants but not among the younger participants. These findings highlight that nostalgia brings beneficial psychological (sense of social connectedness) and behavioral (social engagement) outcomes to older adults.

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) can inhibit cytotoxic responses. Though several studies have analyzed Treg frequency in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) patients using flow cytometry (FCM), few studies have examined how intratumoral Tregs might contribute to immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, the potential role of intratumoral Tregs in PDA patients remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that the percentages of Tregs, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were all increased significantly in tumor tissue compared to control pancreatic tissue, as assessed via FCM, whereas the percentages of these cell types in PBMCs did not differ between PDA patients and healthy volunteers. The percentages of CD8+ T cells in tumors were significantly lower than in PDA patient PBMCs. In addition, the relative numbers of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs and CD8+ T cells were negatively correlated in the tissue of PDA patients, and the abundance of Tregs was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation. Additionally, Foxp3+ T cells were observed more frequently in juxtatumoral stroma (immediately adjacent to the tumor epithelial cells). Patients showing an increased prevalence of Foxp3+ T cells had a poorer prognosis, which was an independent factor for patient survival. These results suggest that Tregs may promote PDA progression by inhibiting the antitumor immunity of CD8+ T cells at local intratumoral sites. Moreover, a high proportion of Tregs in tumor tissues may reflect suppressed antitumor immunity.